Wichita, KS Animal Ordinances: Beekeeping (2026)

Wichita does not prohibit residential beekeeping and does not require a city beekeeping permit, though hives must be managed to avoid creating a nuisance under Wichita Municipal Code. Best management practices recommended by the Kansas Honey Producers Association and the Sedgwick County Extension Office include placing hives at least 10 feet from property lines, providing a water source on the beekeeper's property to prevent bees from visiting neighbors' pools and pet bowls, installing a 6-foot flyway barrier (fence or hedge) between hives and adjacent property lines to direct flight paths upward, and limiting hives to 2 per quarter acre on residential lots. Beekeepers should register their apiaries with the Kansas Department of Agriculture under the Kansas Apiary Inspection Act (Kansas Statute 2-2001 et seq.), which authorizes state inspections for American foulbrood and other diseases. Aggressive Africanized bee genetics should be requeened immediately. Swarming hives must be retrieved promptly. Honey sales for personal-scale production are allowed under Kansas cottage food rules with proper labeling. Neighbors with allergies should be considered when siting hives, and complaints to Wichita Animal Services or Code Enforcement may trigger a nuisance review. Commercial-scale apiaries require agricultural zoning.